What it is
The palace is a large yellow building from the French colonial era, built for the Governor-General of Indochina. Today it is still an official government site, so you cannot go inside. You see it from the paths and gardens.
Ho Chi Minh chose not to live there. He moved into a modest house nearby, once used by an electrician, and later into a simple wooden stilt house built in the palace grounds in 1958. He lived in the stilt house until his death in 1969.
What to look at
Follow the one-way path through the grounds. You pass the palace facade, the garage with the cars Ho Chi Minh used, and House No. 54, where he lived from 1954 to 1958.
The highlight is the stilt house beside a quiet fish pond. You look into the rooms from outside: a small study downstairs, a bedroom upstairs, a few books and a desk. The contrast with the palace is the whole point, and it explains a lot about how Vietnam remembers him.
When to go
Come early in the day. It is cooler, the paths are shaded, and you can link it straight to the Mausoleum queue.
Expect groups and school visits, especially around national holidays. Since times can change, check at the entrance before you plan your morning around it.
Combining it with nearby places
Ba Dinh Square is about 300 meters away, and the One Pillar Pagoda and Ho Chi Minh Museum sit in the same compound. Quan Thanh Temple is about 600 meters north, the B52 Victory Museum about 800 meters and the Fine Arts Museum about 900 meters. Note that the palace area has its own entrance, separate from the Mausoleum and the museum. A combined ticket may or may not exist, so ask at the counter.